Saturday, May 14, 2011

孤寒

Yesterday a student came to my office hour and told me that another professor in her class shared about my 8-month-long battle against the school over delayed salary payment and unfulfilled work promises.

"When I heard about that, my heart was filled with sadness; some girls even cried after class, Prof. Shaw", she said.

"And suddenly I felt there is sense of '孤寒之感' in you," she said. "As if you've suddenly turned even slimmer than before, carrying so much weight and burden upon you.

「孤寒」- I guess I'll leave it like that, for I suppose this is no other English equivalent that could truly capture the essence of this Chinese word.

By the end of the office hour, she gave me a handwritten note that she wrote that day when she first heard of my story.

"I've thought about typing it out to you since I sort of just scribbled it down and wanted to make it more organized. But now I feel that it is perhaps best to give it to you as what it is, 'cuz it truly captures the immediate feelings of mine after I first heard about your story."

This morning, I received another email from a student, who wrote the following:

"Every time after your class, I leave with a heavy heart, because your class gives me a lot of quesions I have never thought about, and these questions are always very heavy ones. But anyway, your classes are a kind of enlightened education for me; you remind me that I am an adult, and I have the responsibility and ability to think about something, and nothing can't be discussed. Thank you, my teacher!"

Thank you, my dear students. You have no idea how much your genuine sharing really means to me.